Over the Rainbow
by Egoperceptum
Summary: In pursuit of Henry, Emma and Regina find themselves separated from the larger group. In a land both familiar and foreign, they must learn to trust one another in order to get back to their comrades and, ultimately, back to their son.
1. Chapter 1

The Maine wind whipped Emma's hair about her face as she stared out at the swirling ocean. Hook had come back to help, who would have thought? The blonde glanced around at the strange assortment of crew members with which she was allied. Gold stood, glaring at the water as if daring it to deny him what he wanted. Her parents clung to one another; a united, solid front as they always had been. Regina was braced on her absurd heels, leaning into the wind as though she could hear Henry calling.

The blonde glanced to their captain who seemed to see beyond the water; into the portal and their destination. _I hope you know what you're doing._ Emma sent him a look of distrust then turned her head back to face the wind and the vortex of water.

"Everyone hold tight!" Hook called.

Snow turned to Gold. "Can't you enchant the ship so that we won't fall off?" The bow began to dip into the tunnel of waves.

"Magic doesn't work in portals, dearie!" He shouted back with nary a hint of his usual bravado. "I suggest you cling to your family tightly!" He sent Regina a warning glance that all but Emma missed.

Would the portal strip them of their magic? How long would it take to pass through? The blonde found herself wondering these things as the ship lurched forward and her feet slid on the slick wood. She caught her footing easily enough but the same could not be said for the brunette with her arm entwined in the rope.

_Regina and her damned heels._ Emma watched the woman struggle to right herself, which she did with less grace than usual. The blonde flexed her knees and tried to keep her eyes on the bow of the ship and away from the spinning walls of water that had hollowed to allow them passage. But a noise distracted her.

"Regina!" Emma heard her mother's voice call out and the blonde snapped her head around to see the woman fighting to remain on her feet. The rope with which she had decided to anchor herself was unraveling.

"I know!" Shouted the brunette in agitation and fear. It continued to fray and Emma let go of her own stronghold. Regina looked up at the blonde in panic and anger. "Stay where you are, Miss Swan!" She tried and failed to grab another rope as Emma lurched toward her on the slick wood; barely maintaining her footing. "I said get back!" The angry witch shouted at the woman as the rope snapped and she went reeling backward toward the side of the ship.

"Emma!" her parents screamed as she lunged and grabbed the other end of the rope as the brunette's body rolled over the banister.

"Shit!" Emma growled as she wedged her torso against the banister and clung to the rope. Though Regina was rather small, her dead weight felt as though it was ripping Emma's arm out of socket; not to mention the thick rope slipping through her hand. The blonde braced her feet and knees against the side of the ship and grabbed the rope with both hands in spite of the burning heat the friction caused.

"Let go! You can't pull me back up!" Regina cried in panic. "Find Henry! Let me go!"

"Shut up and hang on!" Emma refused to hear the woman's suicidal pleas.

The brunette looked up at her with fearful and yet thankful eyes. "Emma…" she said quietly as their gaze met.

Suddenly, the ship lurched again and the blonde lost her footing. Her parents screamed again and Hook yelped in surprise as she found herself hurtling over the edge of the boat; still clinging to the rope as though it would be her salvation. Emma felt a strong hand grab her jacket and looked up into stunned brown eyes. But her vision was lost as the pair of women collided with the portal's wall of water.

The blonde felt water pressing in on all sides. She didn't know which way was up or if there even was an _up._ All she was aware of was the hand clutching her shirt tightly as they swirled about in the oxygen deprived environment. _Light._ Emma could sense it rather than see it. She looked up and suddenly had her bearings. The blonde grabbed her companion's wrist and tugged her upward toward the light.

She could feel the water moving past her as she beat against it with strong limbs and screaming muscles. Her lungs were dying and her brain was becoming dark and groggy. With relief, her head broke the surface and she drug Regina up into the cold air. The two women gulped thankfully; drinking in the frigid oxygen until their lungs were bursting to their capacity.

Emma glanced around for shore and spied a coast to the West. Thanking whatever higher power had allowed her heart to continue beating, she got Regina's attention and nodded toward the murky coast. "That doesn't look like Maine." The blonde said as they struck out across the gray water. "Are we in the Enchanted Forrest?"

"That is not my coastline." The brunette said warily as she struggled to keep up with the long limbs of the blonde.

Emma's feet hit silty, muddy earth and she pulled herself upon the bank before turning a hand to the brunette. However, the woman ignored it and pulled herself up; showing more dexterity and coordination than Emma would have imagined from the woman. The cold air chilled her to the bone and the blonde could feel her body and teeth trembling. "Can you warm us up? Do you have magic?"

Regina closed her eyes briefly, held her hands aloft and fire flew from her fingertips. An inferno blazed quickly before it died down. The brunette placed her hands on Emma's shoulders and the blonde felt the heat seep into her clothing; effectively drying her out. "Warm enough?"

"My hair?" Emma asked tentatively and the brunette whipped her hands back and forth. Suddenly, the blonde locks were dry, silky, and curled to perfection. "Damn." She mumbled; impressed against her will as she watched her companion do the same to herself.

"Magic is different here." Regina murmured and tossed back her raven locks dramatically. "Stronger."

"That's a good thing? Right?" Emma asked as she watched the woman turn and survey their surroundings.

"Well, it tells me that we are in neither of our homelands."

"Ok…"

"I have only experienced this once before." Regina murmured.

"So you've been here?"

"Not exactly." Emma sighed, causing the woman to turn and look at her in agitation. "Something you need to say, Miss Swan?"

"Have you been here or not?"

"Yes, but things are different now." Regina said and when she did not explain further, Emma raised a brow. "When I journeyed here, many years ago, magic was used frequently by many…much as it was in the Enchanted Forrest. It was more balanced and controllable." She explained. "But now…it feels much more violent, as if there are few magic users left."

"Wait…" Emma's mind was spinning. "So the more witches there are, the more predictable magic is?"

"Think of it as energy." Regina walked past her to climb up the soft bank of the waterline; toward a higher peak. "It can neither be created nor destroyed; it always exists in some form or another. It is converted to different forms and harnessed for different purposes but there is always the same amount."

"Ok…" Again, the blonde felt at a loss.

"However, magic can build up like static in a land if it is not utilized. This land feels charged, do you not feel it?" She turned to consider the woman as they came over the ridge and looked down on a heavily wooded area that went on for miles and miles.

Emma considered this. "Is it like something is buzzing in the back of your mind?"

"Yes, I suppose that would be an accurate description. Like you have an itch you can't reach."

The blonde considered this again and decided that she did, indeed feel tingly. "But prolonged exposure won't…injure us, right?"

"It's not like radiation, Miss Swan." Regina said with a superior tone and Emma fought to not roll her eyes. "It won't give you a rash."

"I'll give you a rash…" the blonde said out of the corner of her mouth.

"Pardon?"

"I was wondering where we go from here?" Emma cast a critical eye about the forest. "We have to get to Henry; we don't even know where he is." The brunette pursed her lips but was as silent as the gray sky above them. "Regina?"

"I know how to find him." She finally answered quietly.

"How?"

"With the help of an old friend."

"Is this friend anything like the dragon? Because you can fight her on your own-"

"No, Miss Swan, Elphaba and I were actually friends." Regina started down the ridge, headed to into the woods.

"Wait, why do I know that name? Is she in the book?"

"No, she was in another book." The woman said cryptically. "As were Glinda and Nessarose."

Emma knew the names were familiar. She felt like it was an episode of _Friends_ that she had missed but heard about from someone else. Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks. "Wait." She swallowed and her head reeled. "You mean to say that we're…we're in-"

"Oz."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N- Thanks for all the reviews already :) The idea for this fic came out of my curiosity about exactly what worlds actually existed. If the Enchanted Forest exists, why not Oz? At any rate, I hope you enjoy and as always, I do not claim to own anything from the existing literature. With that said, if I get a detail wrong, shoot me a message and let me know. I really need to brush up on my Oz history and am liable to make mistakes. Happy reading!

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They had hit the tree line and were stopped under the towering and ancient pines. Emma's feet simply refused to move further. "For real?"'

"Is this any more difficult to believe than any of the rest of it?"

The blonde looked around at the seemingly innocent forest. "I guess not….I just don't like being blindsided."

"Then for all intents and purposes, assume all fairy-tales, urban legends, and stories of epic adventures are true." The brunette turned once again and started through the woods, her heels softened by the pine needles.

"So you and Elphaba were friends?"

"Yes."

"And Glinda?"

"Well, Elphie and Glinda were more like best friends and Nessarose was more obnoxious than anything." The woman puffed a dark lock out of her eyes. "I visited Oz when I heard of the wizard's arrival; I sought knowledge."

"But I thought the wizard had been there way before the witches."

"Time is different here." Regina said simply as if this explained all. "At any rate, he wasn't forthcoming. All smoke and mirrors." She huffed. "I'm almost certain he didn't know how he had done it. Hot air balloon my ass." She scowled.

"But you met the Wicked Witch?" Emma asked in curiosity.

Regina stopped in her tracks and the blonde knew immediately that she had said the wrong thing. "Wicked Witch." The brunette turned slowly. "It's so easy for you isn't it? To see black and white? Glinda was painted as good while Elphaba took the fall for all in Oz."

Emma looked down, tempted to rebuttle. But her intrigue got the better of her. "I don't know the story. I'm sorry." She glanced up and Regina gave her a strange look before turning and continuing through the forest.

"As I said, the wizard was a sham, but I also toured Shiz University while I was here and met the girls. They all showed promise, especially Elphaba. Imagine my surprise and dismay when I returned barely a month later to check on her progress to find her holed up in some dank castle with a strange chattering monkey and a delusional old woman." Emma couldn't see the woman's eyes but she could see the tension in her shoulders as she strode behind her. "Years had passed, Miss Swan, and they had not been kind to any of my friends. Elphaba had lost both her best friend and her true love in her quest for greatness. She had been vilified by the wizard and by those she fought so desperately for." Regina's voice took on a quality that Emma had only heard twice before and the blonde was mesmerized.

"But she's dead now?"

"They all are, I'm afraid." Regina said quietly. "I don't know who is in power; last I heard it was Ozma the Great…but I do not know if her lineage survived or was overthrown once again."

Emma wracked her brains for the details. Hadn't Snow read the books? Hadn't she been trying to get Emma to read them? The blonde could kick herself now for not picking them up. Lucky she had Regina. _Yeah, lucky._ She scoffed internally. "So magic is stronger here because there are no witches?"

"I'm sure there are still those practicing magic." The woman said vaguely. "But I would hazard a guess that it is not quite the number that it used to be."

"So does that make us safer…or in more danger? Does that help us find Henry?"

"I do not know yet if that makes us safer or not. We are certainly in no danger of actually being harmed…but hunted is a different matter."

"Why are we safe from being harmed?"

The brunette chuckled darkly. "Because of me." The answer was simple and Emma felt stupid for asking it.

"How do we find Henry?"

"Elphaba had a looking glass the likes of which I've never seen anywhere else."

Something about a crystal ball surfaced in Emma's mind and she didn't feel so terribly out of sorts. "It can show you whatever you want to see, right?"

"Yes and no."

"Thanks for the clarity, you almost lost me there." Emma sniped. Her feet hurt, she was pretty sure she had swallowed a gallon of that swampy water, and her stomach was grumbling miserably.

Regina gave a long suffering sigh. "Miss Swan," She began, "magic is rarely that simple. It is not something so cut and dry as all that. It is to be finessed, to be respected and coaxed. Magic is not tame or easily defined; one cannot simply walk up to an enchanted mirror and bark orders at it."

"Didn't you?"

"Yes, but I had a genie trapped in mine." A soft smile curved at her mouth, "foolish man." She mumbled. "Elphaba's was different; it had been made for her by a close family friend and she was one of the few that was able to decipher its visions."

"But not the only one?"

"No, I too saw clarity in the murkiness of the glass."

They passed through the pines and the trees became sparser and farther apart as they trudged on. Emma became more aware of the buzzing in the back of her brain, she rubbed at the back of her neck as if this would relieve the sound and the tension. They walked silently on; the blonde followed her companion, trusting that because Regina had been here before, she knew where she was going.

Emma was not disappointed as they came upon a brick road. She stepped out onto it and looked down. "I was expecting it to be yellow."

"That's only the main one, dear." Regina stepped out, swiveled her head back and forth and then proceeded down the primitive highway with Emma in her wake. "We need to head South West."

"How do you know?"

"Because we just came out of the only large forest in Oz and that forest is North East of Kiamo Ko, which is our destination for now."

Emma tried to wrap her brain around the words. "Right, and Kokomo was where-"

"-Kiamo Ko."

"Whatever…" Emma continued, "this is where Elphaba lived?"

"Yes."

"You don't think the angry villagers would have ransacked Choccolocco?"

"It's Kiamo Ko!" The brunette stopped and whirled. "And yes, I'm sure they have. But Elphaba would have been smart enough not to leave her treasures lying around."

"Ok." The blonde held up her hands as a way of appeasing the brunette. "How far are we from K-kia-kam….the place?"

"It will take weeks without magic."

"And we are traveling without magic?" Emma noticed.

"Magic leaves traces and the amount it would take to transport two people ahead several weeks would draw attention."

"Like a disturbance in the force?"

"Yes, Luke, like that." Regina scoffed but Emma smiled slightly. "What?"

"Well, I believe you just made a joke, Your Majesty."

"Did I? Must be the nerves." She flipped her hair.

"I would be Han Solo anyway; not Luke. Han was a total badass."

The brunette shook her head in what Emma was sure was unwilling amusement and looked down the road at the trees. "We should be coming up on the river in a bit, there should be houses and inns; we can find a place to stay."

"How will we pay?"

"Let me worry about that." Regina turned on her heel and headed down the road, leaving Emma with no choice but to follow in her wake.


	3. Chapter 3

They arrived on the edge of a small hamlet as Regina had predicted. The women waited in the cover of the trees as the strange sun sank. They watched the people come and go. Emma had been expecting munchkins or talking Animals at least; but she was disappointed.

"Our clothing." She said suddenly and looked at the pair of them. "We'll stick out." Regina eyed the woman and then waved a hand. Emma felt her clothing transform and looked down to find herself in a skirt. "Umm, no." She said pointedly at her floral-print frock.

"That's the style here." Regina ran a hand through her hair and it lengthened and braided instantly. Then she looked at the blonde's exasperated face. "For god's sakes, Miss Swan." The woman grumbled and waved her hand again.

Emma found herself in a smock, leggings, and a thick belt with boots. "This is much better." She then placed a hand on her hip to find a sword. "What do I need the blade for?"

"Only female warriors wear pants."

"Antiquated." The blonde murmured. "You would think that a land that has had so many strong female leaders would be a little more progressive."

"They are, women here just don't find dresses limiting. I wear skirts quite a lot but find that they don't hinder me in the least bit."

"That's different."

"How so?" The brunette whipped her gaze back to her companion.

"You wear power suits. That's something entirely different than billowing, floral tulle."

"Excuse me?"

"They're short and form-fitting, your suits." Emma explained. "That's different than wearing a regular skirt. You use your sexuality to get what you want and the power suits help you do that."

"Do I?" The woman's eyes danced with a wicked light. "Does it work?"

Emma felt her face redden. "I wouldn't know." She cleared her throat. "Where are my jeans?"

"In the bag." The woman patted the burlap. "Along with my powersuit."

_Never gonna live that one down, Swan._ Emma thought to herself. Of course she had noticed the way Regina dressed. She had eyes didn't she? The blonde considered herself a normal woman with a normal sex-drive; whether that included men or women, it didn't matter to Emma. She was attracted to whom she was attracted and that was all there was to it.

Recently, Neal had been the target of her frustration and affection. Losing him through the portal had nearly crippled her. But she had soldiered on. Emma didn't know if she believed in true love; didn't know if it was for her or if _Neal_ was for her. She only knew that she _had_ loved him but that he was dead and she owed it to herself to shut that chapter and move on by finding Henry and bringing him home.

"Are you ready, Miss Swan?" Regina jolted the blonde out of her tangled musings.

"Let's get on with it." She grumbled.

The inn keeper was nice enough; although they did sustain some leers from a few of their fellow tenants. As it turned out, there was a pilgrimage taking place; many travelers were heading South, into the Emerald City for the Spring festival and therefore, only one room was available.

Emma lugged the sack up the stairs behind Regina. The brunette stopped at a door, fitted the key, and pushed the heavy wood inward. The blonde peeked her head in. It was small, with a tub in one corner and a bed in the other. "Bathroom?" Regina pointed to a white basin poking out from under the bed. "You're shitting me, right?"

"I'm not shitting you, Miss Swan." The woman said through pursed lips. "There is an outhouse in the back, however. If I catch you squatted over that-"

Emma waved a hand. "You don't need to worry about that." She looked around again. "What about food?"

"The inn will provide that."

"Downstairs?"

"Indeed." Regina walked to the window and ran her fingers delicately over the sill.

"Well, I'm headed down there for dinner then." Emma said to the woman's back. "My stomach is gnawing my backbone. Umm…need…anything?" She asked awkwardly. Emma wasn't sure how to navigate the waters of this forced camaraderie with the woman that had tried to kill her...well not kill her _exactly_... but the message was the same. Still, the blonde knew that in spite of their differences, they had a common goal and for the time being at least, that made them allies.

"No thank you, Miss Swan." The brunette said quietly. "Take the key, I'm locking the door."

"Right." Emma grabbed it off the bed and put the long, leather string over her head; tucking the cold metal down into her shirt where it rested against her flesh.

Emma found that the food was satisfactory. Under-seasoned for her taste, but hell, what could you expect from a third-world dimension? She chowed down on the hindquarters of some sort of muscular animal and slurped down the rather stout beer they poured her. By the time she was headed back up to the room, she was feeling pleasantly full and was considering that this trip into another land had, so far, been better than her last; companion non-with-standing.

The blonde fitted the key into the lock and swung the door open. "Hey, so the food here is decent-" She began but froze in the doorway when her eyes fell on Regina.

"Miss Swan, either come in or go out, but shut the door either way." The brunette said drolly as she leaned back in the tub of steaming water.

Emma's eyes hit the floor and she stumbled inside; shutting the door behind her. "You didn't tell me you were going to take a bath."

"I apologize for not making my intentions for good hygiene known." Came the quip.

Emma reddened. "You couldn't have said, 'By the way, Emma, I'll be naked and wet when you get back'?"

Regina considered the woman curiously. Why was she so embarrassed? She knew that the blonde had been raised differently; valuing her nakedness close to sacred, but surely she had seen other people naked? Why was it that this brought her such humiliation? "I'm sorry, Miss Swan. I didn't realize you were such a prude."

Emma's eyes leapt up and she stared into the brown ones shining with mirth. "I'm not a prude. I just wasn't expecting…this." She gestured to the woman lounging in the tub.

"What?" The brunette prodded with glee. She did so _love_ to make the blonde uncomfortable.

"Like some siren ready for a tasty sailor snack." Emma retorted.

"I'm no siren, Miss Swan." The woman rose from the water and reached for a towel, allowing the flickering candlelight in the room to illuminate her olive skin as water droplets coursed southward. Emma looked determinedly into her eyes; refusing to be distracted by the tan expanse of skin presented to her. "I'm the goddess Aphrodite herself." She smiled wickedly and whipped the towel about her form.

Emma had a difficult time trying to sleep that night. She clung to the edge of the bed as though it meant her life. The blonde had forgone the bathwater that Regina had offered to heat back up for her in favor of her own modesty. She knew the brunette gloried in her embarrassment. She also knew that Regina would goad her so long as she continued to react with humiliation.

However, Emma didn't trust herself to push back. The wicked woman, unfortunately, was extremely attractive and the blonde found that she wanted nothing more at the moment than to roll over, pin her down, and fuck her breathless. Emma gripped the side of the bed more tightly and forced the images of a prone but passionate Regina from her mind. _Get a grip, Swan._ She scolded herself. _If you play with fire, you're liable to get burned._ And Emma knew that Regina was definitely fire if she had ever seen it.

A noise from the other side of the bed brought her from her musings as the brunette shifted in the sheets suddenly. A sound of alarm rose up in the woman's throat and she lashed out. "No…" she whispered quietly.

Emma rolled to face her, taken aback by the realization that her strong, willful, and stubborn companion was having a nightmare. "Regina…" she said quietly. The woman rolled onto her back. "Your Majesty?" The blonde put a hand on her shoulder but the brunette shook it off and lashed out with a fist. Emma caught it just before it collided with her nose and pressed it above her head. "Regina!" she shouted at the woman, but couldn't have prepared herself for the event to follow.

The brunette was up and rolling across her. She pinned her arms down to her sides and straddled her waist before Emma was even able to let out a startled squeak. "No!" Regina growled at her.

"Hey! It's me!" Emma shouted as she saw purple swirl in the woman's dark eyes. "Regina you were having a nightmare!" She yelled frantically at the woman, hoping she wasn't about to be blown into little pieces.

"Emma…" The woman's wild eyes blinked once and then twice and then returned to their normal shade of chocolate. She looked down at the blonde in bewilderment. "A nightmare?"

"Yes." Emma spoke softly and slowly, sensing that the woman was still groggy and confused. She tried to ignore the way her nightshirt was nearly sheer or the delicious way her thighs hugged her hips. "I woke you up."

"Why…" Regina began but stopped and looked about the room. "Henry. The ship. Oz." She said quickly and Emma could see her mind moving like the reel of a movie; fast forwarding through the past scenes to catch up to the present. Then she looked back down at her hands on Emma's wrists and the way the blonde's chest rose and fell quickly; belying her anxiety.

To Emma's great relief, the brunette rolled off of her and laid back down on her side; facing away. "Are you…ok…?"

"Of course, Miss Swan. I am accustomed to my nightmares." The woman replied stoically.

Emma rolled her eyes. _Next time I'll let you scream…_she thought to herself but stopped. _No, next time I'll do the same thing. Like I did with the fire, like I did with the wraith, and like I did on the ship. _The blonde sighed loudly and fell to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

"Can we please stop, just for a minute?" The blonde asked. They had been walking for hours and the sun that had just been rising upon their departure from the inn, was now high in the sky. The brunette traipsed off the path to settle in the lush grass beside the river they had been following. Emma followed her and flopped down. She eased off her boots and socks before sticking her hot, blistered feet in the cool water.

Emma hated begging, hated caving in. But the pain in her feet left her with little choice. Some of the pockets had ruptured and stung as she submerged her flesh. She glanced to Regina who sat fanning herself in the sun. "We should begin looking for a campsite in a few hours."

"Campsite?"

"Yes, we're in the wilderness, there are few inns or rest-stops out this far. It looks like we'll be under the stars tonight, Miss Swan."

"Can't magic us a tent or something?" Emma tried to keep the frustration from her voice.

"Imagine if someone from this world happened upon a tent." Regina said.

"Sleeping bags?"

"Sleeping rolls." She said then pinned the blonde with her dark eyes. "I'm not thrilled about sleeping on the ground next to you, Miss Swan. But if we are to make it to Kiamo Ko unscathed and with as little delay as possible, we have to follow the rules of the land."

"I don't see how using magic can-"

"No, you wouldn't see." Regina cut her off. "In a land such as this, where magic is built up like static on a dryer sheet, any small amount of energy expended leaves a large signature behind." She sighed when Emma continued to stare. "Imagine a dark room full of candles. Blow one out or light one and you would hardly notice." She lifted a hand. "But imagine a dark room with two or three candles. If you light one, someone is bound to notice."

"So we're in the room with the fewest candles." Emma said, finally understanding.

"Precisely. So little magic is used here that it is glaringly obvious when it _is_ used."

"So we only use it in emergencies?"

"Yes."

"Like if we're attacked by a lion, or tiger, or bear?" Emma jested.

"If we're accosted by an animal, we will run." Regina stood back up and Emma began to pull her socks and shoes back on.

"You can't outrun a lion, Regina."

"I don't have to outrun the lion, Miss Swan. I just have to outrun you." Her mouth lit in a wicked grin and Emma thought she was mostly joking…mostly.

"Then you best hope you grow several inches, because my legs were made for sprinting."

"Yes, but you're so terribly clumsy. All I really have to do is remain upright."

Emma opened her mouth and then shut it again: the woman had her there. "Regina, if you let me get eaten by a lion, so help me god, I will haunt you the rest of your days."

"I think you would rather enjoy that, wouldn't you? I could imagine that last night would be the first of many times you watch me bathe."

_Oh Jesus._ Emma thought and felt her stomach flip. "I would do more than watch." She surprised them both by saying and then strode ahead of the brunette, presenting her back to her confidently. She missed the look of appraisal and challenge that lit the older woman's face.

_Would you now, Miss Swan?_ The brunette wondered mischievously. She sized the blonde up as she strode behind her quick pace. The brunette had certainly bedded less attractive women (naturally, they had something she wanted) as well as women that were physically stronger. But Emma Swan seemed to be a breed all her own. She considered that the blonde was probably more than suited to fulfilling her needs…The brunette shook her head; no, that was a terrible idea. The only way to make things more complicated would be to sleep with Emma Swan.

The sun began to sink and Regina motioned them away from the river and closer to the tree line. Emma helped her to clear out a sleeping spot and then they built a fire. Luckily, Regina decided this small amount of magic would not draw significant attention and Emma's night was made easier by not having to gather firewood constantly.

She sat down on a stump and took off her shoes gingerly before hissing through her clenched teeth. "Jesus Christ." She swore as she considered the blisters on her feet.

Regina turned her head and caught sight of the angry, inflamed skin. "Why didn't you say something?" She went to her but Emma held out a hand.

"You're joking?"

"You can admit when you're hurting."

"Says the woman that sustained life-threatening electrocution because she was too-"

"That's different." Regina waved a hand and reached out again, taking Emma's ankle in her palm and inspecting the ruptured flesh. "This looks terrible."

"Well, it doesn't feel so great either." Emma said drolly and made to snatch her foot back but realized that Regina's hands were soothing her throbbing feet. "What are you doing?"

"If your feet get infected it will slow down our progress."

"But healing magic-"

"Runs under the radar, so to speak. Most people pay little attention to magic used to heal as it poses no threat." The woman rattled off matter-of-factly and Emma fought to focus on her words as Regina's hands healed her feet.

The blonde leaned back and watched the woman stroke down her ankles and across her toes gently. "Good thing you're not squeamish." Emma said with a dark grin. "My feet stink."

"Indeed, Miss Swan. I'm not half the prude you are." The magic traveled up her ankles and eased the tension in her sore calves as well.

"I'm not a prude, woman. I just have certain boundaries: we aren't all as free and easy with our bodies as you seem to be."

"Seem?" The brunette laughed. "You forget where I grew up. Things were different in the Enchanted Forest. Magic was power, but sexuality was more subtle."

Emma could feel the tingling massage creep higher to her thighs. _Is she doing this on purpose?_ The blonde wondered as the sensation caused her to shudder imperceptibly. Regina's magic was having a rather interesting effect on her indeed. Namely, it was arousing. But Emma found herself between a rock and a hard place. She didn't want to admit the effect the healing magic was having on her.

However, when the first tendrils of the magic glanced her clit suddenly, Emma bit down on her lip. "Regina, I think that's enough."

"I believe I'll decide when you are healed, Miss Swan." The woman didn't glance up but merely continued to work on her feet that were sporting pink, new skin where the blisters had been.

"No, I think I'm good to go." The blonde squirmed as the magic furled over her center and moisture found its way between her thighs.

"Really, Miss Swan-" Regina began but looked up in surprise when the blonde jerked her feet out of her grasp.

"You have to stop now."

The brunette took in the flush on her face and the quick rhythm of her breathing as the blonde pulled her feet up to her and stared at the woman warily. The air around them hummed with tension. "What is the matter? Did I hurt you? I haven't healed in quite-"

"No, you didn't hurt me." The woman stood and dusted off her backside, leaving Regina crouched on the forest floor. "It was just intense."

"How so?"

"Never mind." Emma mumbled in embarrassment.

"Miss Swan-"

"I said forget it!" She spun around to find the brunette nearly nose to nose with her. Emma took a step back but the witch followed her with curious eyes. "It's not important."

"If something is wrong with my magic it is important." The woman said with concern. "I need to know that if the time comes, I will be able to get us out of here." She threw a hand about the forest. "Now, tell me what your problem is."

Emma looked down. "You said yourself that magic is stronger here." She mumbled and felt her face burning. "What else do you use healing magic for, Regina?"'

"What?" The brunette had not been expecting this. "What do you mean?"

"It's obviously different from the other magic you use for conjuring and fireballs and transportation."

"Right, as we discussed before, magic is like energy; it is transformed but never lost or created."

"Yes, I remember." Emma said mustering her patience. "But what other sort of magic do you use the healing form for exactly?"

Realization hit Regina and she stepped back suddenly and inhaled sharply. "I see."

"I don't."

"I think you do." The brunette adopted a business-like tone. "The form of magic that is required for healing mandates that one become in-tune with another's body. It allows one to satisfy that specific body's needs physically. The same form of magic that is used for healing is also used to bring sexual satisfaction." The brunette turned to hide her own chagrin. "That is what happened, is it not, Miss Swan? My magic brought you-"

"Yes." Emma cut her off quickly; unwilling to hear the woman say the words again. "That was because magic here is stronger?"

"I would assume so." Regina turned back around when Emma continued to look at her suspiciously. "What are you implying? That I meant to bring you physical pleasure?" She stepped forward again and the blonde held her ground. "That it was my intent to arouse you? That I wanted to turn you on?" She grinned wickedly.

"That's not what I said." Emma growled. "I just wouldn't put it past you to try and manipulate-"

"Miss Swan, had I wanted you in my bed, you would already be there." Regina flipped back her long braid with a casual hand. "Furthermore, if I were going to use my sexual prowess to subdue you, you wouldn't have known what hit you." The brunette turned and headed back to the fire, leaving Emma stunned in the darkening forest.


	5. Chapter 5

When the women bedded down in the pine straw that night it was with an air of unease and anxiety; at least on the part of Emma. She snuggled down under the bedroll to try and ward off the chill. The blonde tried not to dwell on the way Regina's magic had affected her earlier. _What the hell?_ She puzzled to herself. She knew that magic had many purposes: to hurt, to confuse, to heal. But she had not imagined the power being aimed at that particular area of human need. A small shiver skittered up her back as a new thought pushed into her mind: If that was what the brunette could do on _accident_, what she could she do if she was really trying?

The dark-haired woman lying across the fire from her was having similar difficulty sleeping. It had been a long time since she had lost control like that. It had been years since her magic had acted of its own accord. Regina knew there was no other explanation for it; she had certainly not meant to cause that reaction in the blonde. Perhaps it owed greatly to the fact that magic was more concentrated here. Or maybe Emma was just more sensitive to it than Regina had expected.

The latter thought caused an involuntary smile to curve about the woman's wide, full mouth. If that was how the blonde had reacted to a small amount of healing magic, how much more so would she writhe if Regina were to actually attempt to subdue her? A thrill of challenge rolled across her skin and caused her flesh to prickle. She could feel energy sizzling in her fingertips at the prospect of demonstrating _exactly_ what it was that she was capable of.

_Oh, the things I could teach you-_ she smirked to herself but immediately felt a wave of guilt. No, she wasn't to take advantage of this situation in the exact way she desired. Hadn't it been those impulses that had lost her Henry? Regina sighed. She could no longer blame Emma for Henry's shift in allegiance; she hadn't exactly acted like an innocent woman. As before, she considered that the only way to make this situation more complicated would be to act on her instincts and claim the blonde as her own. Henry was old enough to understand such things and would never forgive her. Not to mention those blasted Charmings…No, it was best to push her desires aside and focus on the task at hand. Regina rolled over and curled on her side before closing her dark eyes and drifting to sleep.

Emma's eyes flew open and she sat straight up, looking around in alarm. The embers of the fire were sizzling out and the darkness was thinning slightly as dawn approached. She rubbed her eyes, trying to determine what had awoken her so abruptly. Casting a look over to Regina, who seemed to be snoozing soundly, she looked down at her arms to find that she had goosebumps. Emma rubbed down the flesh and looked about again. She felt as though she was being watched. Massaging the back of her neck, where that hair was standing up as well, she stood and stretched like a cat before turning back to Regina.

The brunette slept on soundly and the wary woman saw no trace of the nightmares that had plague the woman the first night of their adventure. A rustling bush had her turning on the spot quickly and peering into the underbrush. Emma instinctually moved closer to Regina who slept on, oblivious to the potential harm. The bush rustled again and a growling sound rumbled into their clearing.

"Shit." Emma muttered and knelt. She grabbed Regina's mouth and the woman's dark eyes flew open. A range of emotions flashed across: alarm, relief, suspicion, before finally settling on irritation. But Emma pointed to the line of bushes as whatever stalked them moved to the right, disrupting the foliage.

The brunette rolled over and pushed herself to her feet swiftly and pushed the blonde in the direction of her sword. Emma snatched it up and rejoined her companion quietly as possible. The women pivoted as the unidentified stalker rustled the bushes in a linear path around the clearing in the lightening woods. They had nearly come full circle when Emma began to grow even more anxious. Why had the beast not attacked yet? What was it waiting for? Her senses became even more alert as she realized that something was amiss.

The blonde suddenly swung back around and pressed her back flush to Regina's. "Miss Swan-?" The quick movement bewildered the brunette but suddenly the bushes burst apart and bounding toward her was a rather large wolf with glinting yellow eyes. At the same time, she heard Emma suck in a sharp breath as the same happened from the other side of the clearing. The beasts' attack plan had been foiled when the blonde had instinctually covered their rear and now the wolves circled the two women; watchful and waiting.

"Still want to stick to your no magic policy?" Emma muttered out of the side of her mouth as the abnormally large wolves continued to stalk them.

"You have a sword don't you?"

"I'd rather not have to get close enough to use it." Came the reply.

"You fought a dragon and yet these wolves make you nervous?"

They watched as the beasts continued to circle and stalk, ears quirking toward the sound of their voices, as if listening to them. Intelligent yellow eyes switched back and forth between the women's faces.

"Well, they're kinda big if you haven't noticed. They don't make them like this in Storybrook." Emma answered with somewhat of an edge to her voice.

"Indeed, they do not." Regina said softly as her dark eyes took in the unusual animals. "Notice the way they seem to be listening to us."

"Regina, they're animals. They can't understand us."

"They can if their _Animals_."

Emma opened her mouth to rebuttle but noticed the emphasis placed on the word and cocked her head. "I don't understand."

"I'll explain later." The brunette mumbled then turned to the strange beasts and held up her hands. "We are passing through. We are simple travelers stopping to rest. We will be gone when the sun rises."

Emma opened her mouth in surprise and furrowed her brow when she realized that the brunette was addressing the wolf-dogs. But to her even greater surprise, the animals glanced to one another, gave what could only be described as a nod to Regina and then retreated back into the tree line. The brunette began kicking dirt on their fire before turning to her bedroll and packing it up.

Rooted to the spot, Emma watched her. "What the fuck was that all about?" She exhaled the breath she hadn't realized she had been holding.

Regina didn't spare a glance up as she continued to work the bed roll. "Animals in this land are different."

"Obviously."

At the sarcastic tone, the brunette did look up, blowing a wisp of dark hair from her face. "In this land, there are animals and then there are Animals." She emphasized the last word. "And then there is something in between, which is what I suspect those wolves to have been." Emma continued to stare at her expectantly. Regina packed away the bedding and gesture to the blonde that she should do the same. Emma knelt slowly and began to do as she was prompted but never took her eyes from her companion.

"Are you going to explain further? Or is that the extent of the information you are going to share with me?"

The brunette shifted more dirt onto the dusty embers and turned back to her companion who was unceremoniously stuffing the bedding into her own pack. "In Oz, there are animals like those that reside in Storybrook. They are simple and do not have the ability to speak. However, there are also _Animals_; meaning they have the ability of cognitive thought and intelligent speech."

"Talking animals?" Emma whispered.

"No, talking Animals." Regina replied. "There are also those that seem to have the ability to understand, but not to speak; or not verbally at any rate."

"Like those wolves that nodded to you?"

"Yes."

"Jesus." Emma said tugging absently on her long pony-tail. "So how do you know the difference without them speaking?"

"You don't."

"So you were just taking a gamble back there?"

"Yes." Regina led them out of the clearing, looked up at the sky, and then headed down the river; continuing the trek they had begun a few days previous.

"And what if that hadn't worked?"

"As I said before, you do have a sword."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N- Thanks for all the reviews and comments; they keep me writing. This story seems to be turning out as somewhat of a slow build. But never fear, dear readers; there will be more adventure in the chapters to come :)

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"So when we find out where Henry is, how do we get out of _here_?" Emma asked as she strode beside the quick paced brunette. Their first week in Oz was coming to a close and the blonde had become tired of walking in silence. Though her legs were longer, Emma had difficulty keeping up. It made her wonder what sort of physical exercise Her Majesty had been practicing. "I don't suppose you have a magic hat hidden in your skirts."

"No, I do not. And if I did, I wouldn't hide such an item in my skirts, Miss Swan. That is impractical."

"I don't know, I've hidden a fair amount of items in my socks before." Emma retorted.

Regina shot her an unamused look from the corner of her eye. "Once, many years ago, I gave Elphaba a bean."

"A bean?!" The blonde shouted in surprise, but the brunette laid a hand on her arm in warning and glanced around pointedly.

"Just because something doesn't have ears doesn't mean it can't hear!"

"Right." The blonde mumbled. "But," she continued in a lowered tone, "you gave her a magic bean. Like the kind that makes portals?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"To travel to the Enchanted Forest."

"Why?" Emma asked again and the brunette stopped and turned to her in exasperation.

"Does it matter?"

"Yes." The blonde said quietly. "You gave another witch a powerful tool; something she could have used against you."

"Elphaba wasn't like that…" Regina said and turned to continue walking as they followed the river downstream. "I couldn't help but notice how quickly my friend had gone downhill. I wanted her to have an escape route if needed."

"But she didn't use it?"

"No."

"How do you know? How do you know she didn't get to the Enchanted Forest and simply hideout? That's what I would have done."

The brunette let out a short, wicked chortle. "I think you are forgetting the most distinguishing feature of Elphaba Thropp." Emma screwed up her face in confusion and the brunette rolled her eyes. "She was as green as grass, Miss Swan."

"So that was true?"

"Yes indeed. A rather pleasant shade of green actually." She stepped lightly over a fallen log and then looked up at the sky. "We should stop somewhere nearby." The heavens were darkening overhead and the foreign sun was sinking. "We'll have just enough light to set up camp before we're in the dark."

They barely managed to set up camp before the darkness of the foreign land came tumbling about them. The two women sat across the fire from one another listening to the sound of the woods active around them. Emma sharpened her sword needlessly; its edge was fine and razor-like but the sound comforted her. The blonde chowed down on one of their last bits of jerky they had taken from the last village and mused that if they didn't find another market soon, she would be forced to rely on Regina's hunting skills. Green eyes lifted and took in the way that the brunette made the stump look like a throne and a smirk flashed over her face briefly.

Regina sat watching the flickering flame and focusing on the solitude of the woods. The energy in this land seemed _healing _to the witch. The brunette had always felt so; as if Oz were some vacation destination in comparison to the Enchanted Forest. She assumed that it had something to do with the fact that when she first came to the strange land she had done so to escape her husband. A swift but searching glance up to her companion was involuntary. Regina was glad the blonde did not resemble her grandfather; the brunette would have found it even more difficult to deal with her.

"So you think Elphaba kept your gift?" Emma broke the silence.

"I think that it is highly unlikely she threw it away even if she never intended to use it."

"And you will be able to locate it?"

"Items that possess magic leave traces." The brunette stretched her feet out in front of her and strained her calf muscles. Emma pointedly ignored the sleek lines of her legs.

"Right, and you can track these traces?"

"Of course."

"Of course." Emma shrugged mockingly and Regina narrowed her eyes.

"Do you doubt my abilities, Miss Swan?"

"Absolutely not, Your Royal-" But the warning look on Regina's face and her swift sweep of one elegant hand to remind her that they could be overheard had Emma changing her words. "-Bitchiness." She choked slightly. "I simply find you amusing."

"Amusing? I would describe myself many ways; but amusing would not be a word I would use."

"Really?" Emma knit her brows in confusion. "Because you can be funny sometimes."

"Funny?"

"Humorous?" The blonde offered. "I mean when you try and cut me down-"

"I think I more than try-"

"-you say funny things." The sword wielding woman rolled her eyes. "And Henry has a great sense of humor; I can only assume he gets that from you."

Regina softened slightly but tried to pull her defenses back up immediately. She almost succeeded. Almost. "Yes, he is a funny little boy." She smiled quietly to herself and Emma was afforded a quick glimpse of the woman behind the magic.

"We're going to find him, Regina. And then, I'm going to run my sword through that pair of assholes." She gesticulated violently with the blade. The brunette woman arched a brow.

"I don't think your mother would approve of you slaughtering them."

"They took Henry away; my happiness away. All for their own selfish end; they deserve my sword." She growled into the fire and then realized what she had said. A quick glance up confirmed that Regina had connected the circumstances with her own treachery.

Silence stretched across the clearing as the two women sat and stared into the flame consuming the logs. "When you put it that way, I'm sure Snow would agree."

"Look, Regina, I didn't mean-"

"Your meaning was quite clear, dear." The brunette sniffed a bit. "But for what it is worth, I agree with your view on Mendel and Tamara. Regardless of what I did to Owen in the past; it is no excuse for forcing Henry and others to suffer." Her voice was soft but Emma knew she didn't mishear her. Still, the blonde sat in a state of confusion and unanswered questions.

Did Regina realize the hypocrisy she was spewing? Did she connect that Mendel and Tamara's act of stealing Henry from Regina to get what they wanted was similar to Regina's revenge curse against Snow and David? She was a smart woman; surely, as nearsighted as she could be, she couldn't deny the congruency of the circumstances. _Then again,_ Emma thought wryly, _this is Regina we are talking about._


	7. Chapter 7

The next few days passed without incident. They were traveling through yet another town and though the villagers seemed quite curious, it was nothing in comparison to what Emma felt. "Holy shit! They're Munchkins!" She cursed quietly.

"Miss Swan!" Regina hissed in a combination of amusement and exasperation. "Hush!" She gave her a warning glance. "We will draw enough attention as it is; try to act normal-" She gave Emma a once over and then smirked. "Well, normal for you."

"I hardly think you have any authority to decide what is normal and what isn't." Emma said pointedly as she tried not to stare about at the locals.

"Perhaps not; but _I_ at least know how to control myself."

"I'm not so sure about that either." Emma mumbled.

"What was that, Miss Swan?"

"Nothing." Emma said innocently as they traveled down the road. She watched Regina as the brunette inspected the village.

"We need food." She muttered more to herself than her companion. "I think it wise that I negotiate these items considering your incredible lack of tact and culture." She said snarkily and entered the general store; leaving Emma to stand outside and gaze around.

Green eyes traveled over the various shops and stores as she leaned heavily on one foot and braced her hand casually against the hilt of her sword. She noticed that the town was much larger than it first appeared and seeme to be rather more metropolitan than she had judged initially. There was even what seemed to be a mayoral estate of sorts on the outskirts of the town. The blonde tried to seem unaffected and disinterested in the goings and comings of the little people bustling about their day. However, when her eyes lit upon a crumbled and dilapidated farmhouse, she started abruptly and stood up straight.

Emma almost rubbed her eyes so astonished was she to see what she was seeing. Without a backward glance, the blonde strode purposefully up the sloping brick pathway toward the slumped and haphazardly placed house. Upon coming abreast to the structure, she noticed a plaque posted to the swinging screen door and squinted at the writing.

_Here sits the house of the White Witch Dorothy, who brought down Nessarose Thropp, the Witch of the East before conquering her sister, the Witch of the West. Aided by Glinda the Good, Dorothy Gale vanquished the two greatest threats of our age before ascending to another realm with the Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz. _

Emma felt a small swoop in her stomach; similar to the one she had felt when she had learned that Regina was the Evil Queen and Mary Margaret was Snow White. It was the moment of realization that reality was indeed, stranger than fiction and that sometimes it was impossible to tell the difference between that which was real and that which was imagined. The blonde had also begun to realize that it often didn't matter; because all tales are relative to the story-teller and considering only one perspective was about as useful as reading half the story.

Regina stepped out of the general store and glanced around. The blonde was nowhere to be seen. She narrowed her eyes and scanned the immediate area once more as cold panic began to creep down her spine. Where had the nuisance run off to? The brunette began to consider her options as she resolved that the woman had abandoned her. _Very well, I'm accustomed to being on my own-_

"Regina?! Have you seen this!?" A voice called out and the brunette turned.

A surge of relief flooded her system suddenly as the brown eyes lit on the annoyingly disheveled figure of her favorite enemy. "Miss Swan? Where-"

"Up here! It's Dorothy's house!" She said with a great deal of excitement and the witch was reminded forcibly of her son. Emma took the packages from the woman's hands and stuffed them into her pack before grabbing her hand briefly. "Have you seen this?" She spurred the brunette forward. "There's a sign and everything."

Regina tried to summon up anger and hostility but found that she couldn't. In all honesty, she found she was so relieved that the woman had not left her that all she could manage was mild indignation. "Miss Swan, stop dragging me." She growled and snatched her hand back but followed her willingly up to the house.

"Look! It really happened!"

Regina peered at the sunken house. "Yes, it seems that Nessarose was actually crushed by a house." She peered down at the place the witch's body must have laid. "The odds of actually being hit by a flying house are astronomical."

"Kind of like the odds of our fucked up little situation?"

The brunette let out a quick chuckle of dark humor. "Yes, Miss Swan. However, you will find that Rumpelstilskin manipulated the vast majority of those variables. It was his curse; he used me to cast it just as he used you to break it."

Emma considered this a moment. "To find Neal."

Regina nodded. "Yes, he created the curse, found a young girl, heartbroken, weakened, and vengeful and he molded her into a tool as easily as he spun his wretched gold." Her hand gripped the post of the fence tightly. "He watched us all very carefully; your parents especially."

"Mary Margaret and David?"

"No, Snow and Charming." She corrected. "He knew their's was a true love and that the product of true love would be the only thing capable of destroying the curse he had given me to cast."

"Me."

"Yes." Regina said softly and turned her back to the blonde before her; realizing she had said quite a great deal. On some level, however, it felt cathartic to admit her past.

"But how did Gold know about you in the first place?"

"My mother."

"He and Cora were pals?"

"They were lovers."

Emma made a face, "Gross." Her mouth frowned then her brows creased, "Wait, she didn't have a heart."

"Correct."

"How could she…"

"Love?" Regina turned back to Emma and looked her in the eye. Some part of her wanted to see the horror in the blonde's face. "She ripped out her own heart because the power my father's family could give her meant more to her than love."

Emma blinked slowly. "She ripped her own heart out? What the fuck, Regina!?" Emma clutched her own chest protectively. "That shit hurts! I mean…she didn't even get it out of me but having her hand in there tugging on it was bad enough. I can't imagine…" The blonde trailed off. "The only pain I can compare it to was labor with Henry. It was terrible and I felt like I was being ripped apart." Emma's face registered horror but also sadness. "To do that herself…that's sad. What made power so important?"

Regina hesitated. The blonde was watching her with curiosity; she had questions she wanted answered but the brunette loathed the idea of handing her past over to her enemy for it to be judged and studied. However, to have the chance to explain everything; to be heard….Regina found that the opportunity definitely had its merits. Hesitating a second longer, Regina spoke.

"Miss Swan, it is a very long and complicated story. I will tell it to you should you wish to know it." Emma made to speak but the brunette held up a hand. "Be warned, however, that you will hear many unpleasant things." The brown eyes bore into the green and it was the blonde's turn to hesitate.

"I want to know. Your history caused my history, Regina. I want to know."

"So be it."


	8. Chapter 8

The light from the fire cast a flickering glow on Regina's face as she spoke. Her voice seemed like a relentless energy, cutting through the night air and into Emma's brain. Her tone never wavering and always steady and the blonde found that she had to believe her.

"So Cora hated my grandmother, Ava?"

"Yes."

"And so she killed her?"

"Yes." The brunette said again.

"To manipulate your marriage to the king, my grandfather?"

"Yes."

Emma slid off the log to sit on the ground with her back pressed to it. "Was it uncommon for a man that age to marry an eighteen year old girl?"

Regina regarded her carefully. "I suppose not all that uncommon."

"He raped you." Emma said dully and watched the woman shudder slightly.

"He did."

"And you killed him."

"I did."

"I would have too." She surprised them both by saying. "Did Snow know?"

"Never."

"Why didn't you tell her? Wouldn't it have hurt her? She believed her father a saint, right?"

"Exactly, she wouldn't have believed it anyway." The brunette said bitterly.

"You pushed your mother through the looking glass just before the wedding and she became the Queen of Hearts." Emma murmured. "But not before she took Daniel's heart."

Regina had skimmed over this part but knew the relentless blonde would want all the details. "Yes." She grudgingly explained the circumstances to Emma in a dull, emotionless voice.

"You hated my mother." The blonde stared into the fire when the woman had finished talking. "But you hated more what she represented, I think."

"How so?" At the same time that Regina felt a sense of mortification at handing her once-greatest enemy all the information she could ever want, she also felt something…_right_ about the circumstances. It was as if it was all finally out and open and that now, perhaps, with all things understood, they could move forward. Perhaps, Regina _herself_ could move forward.

"Well," Emma glanced up to see curiosity and not hostility on the woman's dark face. "She betrayed your most precious possession to your worst enemy. She solidified your fate with the king and by extension, your fate of being under the control of Cora. Her actions didn't just lose you Daniel, they lost you everything."

"True. Up until this point, I could write off my Mother's actions as having good intentions. After she killed Daniel, however, I couldn't justify murder and especially not his murder. I was now completely under her control and trapped in a loveless marriage." Regina felt bare and vulnerable before the blonde and fear plucked at her stomach.

"Henry needs to know all of this, Regina."

The brunette's head snapped up. "No-"

"I'll keep it to myself." Emma interrupted. "But he needs you to open up to him like this."

"I was simply giving you a history because you asked for it."

"That's fine." Emma dismissed with a roll of her eyes that did nothing but serve to agitate the brunette further. "But as I said before, your history is our history. It would mean a lot to him to hear your side of the story."

"You believe me, then?"

"Do you care?"

"Of course not." The brunette huffed slightly but the blonde smiled knowingly.

"Yes, I believe you because you're not the same woman that cursed an entire population of people, Regina."

"Oh?"

"No, I'll not forget that you saved us as we came through the portal or that you were willing to sacrifice yourself for the entire town by soaking up that diamond's energy."

"I think you are forgetting all the evils I committed while my mother was in town."

"Yes….but…" Emma sighed. "But people do crazy things when they're trying to earn love. I was a kid in the system; I know what that kind of desperation looks like."

Regina found that the blonde's words hit too close to home. "I was not an orphan, Miss Swan."

"You might as well have been." Emma shrugged. "You and I are not so different, you know?"

"Oh yes, other than grace, style, tact, and maturity I would say we are exactly alike."

"Exactly." Emma smirked.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N- By the way, I don't own any of this. I claim no rights to any of the characters of Once Upon a Time, L. Frank Baum, or Gregory Maguire. I am simply borrowing them and mixing them together; I hope you enjoy.

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"This sucks." Emma groaned as they trudged through the rain. The past couple of days had been quiet; both women were mulling over the words of the other as they trudged forward. Currently, however, the rain was making enough noise that they would have had to shout to converse anyway. Suddenly, Regina threw out a hand and it struck the blonde in the chest. "What gives-?" Emma asked but looked to where the brunette was pointing.

The outline of a seemingly abandoned cottage caught her eye and she looked back at the woman questioningly. "Friends of yours?" She asked with a smirk.

"I hope to God not." The brunette retorted and led the blonde up the path and to the porch. She knocked loudly as Emma peered around.

"Doesn't seem that anyone has been home for a long time." She touched a dusty woodpile tentatively before walking to the end of the porch. "Wouldn't these people have animals or something? A garden or fire going?"

"Yes, they would." Regina pushed the door forcibly and it swung open. The blonde peered around her to find a small, one room, cottage with a table, bed, and fireplace. "It's small."

"But it's dry and once we get a fire going, it will be warm." The blonde strode past her and into the room. "And I saw a pump outside, which means we can wash off." She dropped her pack on the tiny table and bustled to the fireplace to clean it out as Regina scavenged about the house opening cupboards and drawers; looking for anything useful.

Half an hour later, the fire was crackling merrily, Regina was putting sheets on the straw mattress, and Emma had stripped down to her underclothes to bathe from a bucket of water. She was even delighted the brunette had found soap in one of the drawers. Taking the large bucket of water outside, she washed her hair on the back porch, drew more water, rinsed off again and came back inside.

"I got more water, in case you want to wash. It's out on the porch."

Regina looked up from where she had been pouring over a leather-bound book. "I've found something interesting here." She tapped it.

Emma pulled a long nightshirt that Regina had found over her head and approached the woman. "It looks like a journal."

"Indeed. It outlines major events in time from the incident of Dorothy's house up until a couple of years ago it seems." She handed the book to her. "I'm going to wash. See what you think."

Emma shrugged to the woman's retreating back and moved closer to the fire to use the light. The blonde sat her rump on the hearth and tucked her knees to her chin as she tousled her curls so that they might dry. Green eyes skimmed the first few year's worth of entries as the author talked about Dorothy delivering them from the reign of the Witch of the East and her quest to defeat the Witch of the West. Then there were entries about mysterious beasts flying over the countryside and their connection to the Ozian government. There were a couple of excited paragraphs about rumors of a man named Liir who claimed to be the son of the Witch of the West and then several about the Ozman's return.

Emma noted words and phrases that she didn't understand such as "Clock of the Time Dragon" and "tik-tok". Once again, she was finding it difficult to reconcile her version of Oz and Dorothy with the actual reality (if there was such a thing) of Elphaba and Nessarose. In spite of her confusion, however, Emma continued to flip to the end where the last entry was most interesting.

It seemed to be dated a couple of years ago but the blonde reminded herself about what Regina had said of the passage of time in Oz. Nevertheless, it was a curious journaling about a barrage of knights that had come through town demanding that the town's people pay tribute to their new monarch. Confused and scared, the people had apparently done as they were told and the knights rode on. The author of the journal was under the impression that this was only the beginning of something bad and spoke of a desire to move further out into the wilderness to avoid the politics and war if there was one.

Emma reread the entry and tried to eek out any more information from it that she could as Regina slipped back into the room, unbeknownst to the blonde. The witch watched the woman silently as green eyes ran across the page; scrutinizing every word and sentence. The fire crackled merrily behind her and cast her curls with a brassy, golden glow. The off-white nightshirt was too big and fell haphazardly off one of the woman's strong shoulders.

Regina found her tongue worrying her bottom lip as heat curled in her stomach. Why on earth did the woman seem so appetizing? The brunette mused that it was perhaps because she was off-limits. She had never been very good at staying away from those things forbidden to her. Perhaps it was because the blonde was the only familiar thing that existed in the whole damnable land. Or maybe, it could be that there was some part of her that felt safe-

"Regina?" Emma asked uncertainly; the woman had been staring through her.

Dark eyes jerked up to meet hers. "Have you come to the part about the soldiers?"

"Yes." Emma nodded. Still warily watching the woman as she folded her dress and leggings and set them aside before crossing the room and sitting down in the rocking chair by the fire. A faint creaking sound echoed through the small house and the blonde found it inexplicably comforting. "And then the journal ends there." She frowned. "It's dated about two years ago…but time here is strange."

"I think it would be safe to assume twenty years have passed."

"It would explain why all the villages we have come through show no sign of immediate duress. If there were a war going on-"

"You would imagine hardship." The brunette nodded. "Yes, I agree." She reached over and held out a hand; Emma placed the journal there. "However, it would still be safe to assume that this new queen is still reigning."

"So you think there is a queen?"

"Well, considering there is little magic used here, it leads me to believe that someone has attempted to stamp it out."

"Like a monarch." Emma followed.

"Exactly. A queen wouldn't want everyone doing magic now would she?"

"Especially if she can't herself."

Regina's head snapped up. "Good point, Miss Swan."

Emma smiled faintly and then yawned widely. At this sign of fatigue, Regina stood, handed her a blanket and nodded in the direction of a straw palate in the corner. "What's that?" the blonde asked in confusion.

"Your bed."


	10. Chapter 10

Emma searched the woman's gloating face for humor; finding none she shook her head. "I'm not sleeping in the corner on a mat like a dog; I'll sleep in the bed."

"I'm sleeping in the bed."

"Then I suppose you have a bedmate."

Regina stepped closer to her; crowding her space. "No, I will not share my bed."

"Then you can sleep in the corner." Emma smirked at that image.

"I sleep alone." A tone in her voice caused the blonde to look down into her eyes curiously.

"Regina, I'm not sleeping on the floor. We slept in the same bed the first night. Anyway, you may be the Evil Queen, but as I recall, I'm a Princess right? You can't boss me around."

"This bed is much smaller. Besides, it's not as if you ever did what I asked anyway."

"I never remember you actually…asking." Emma retorted and strode to the bed before flinging back the covers on the straw mattress to look for unwanted guests. Finding there were none; she crawled under the sheets and cuddled to one side. "Come on in, Your Majesty, the bed is lumpy as hell." She called over her shoulder.

"I kick in my sleep." Regina said.

"I'll kick you back."

"I talk a lot."

"Is that any different than when you're awake?"

"I sleep in the nude." Regina said in desperation.

"Well, don't go changing to try and please me." Came the pithy retort.

Emma heard the woman behind her curse at her back as she tried to still her own heart. Regina Mills, nude and between the sheets with her. The thought sent skitters of anticipation up her back. Emma had slept with a few women before; nothing serious, just more or less experimenting and having a good time. But never had she bedded a woman quite as exquisite as the brunette was. Emma's mouth watered at the thought of Regina's soft skin rubbing against her own bare flesh…. _Nope, not going there. Henry's Mom, thirty years older than me, Evil Queen…definitely not my type._ She thought desperately as she heard the brunette tossing away the towel that had encased her head.

The bed depressed behind her and she felt the woman snuggling under the covers in an angry huff. The mattress was large enough that they had a foot between them; so long as they clung to their respective edges. Emma found herself wondering what exactly Regina _was _wearing as a bare calf accidently brushed the back of her leg. Surely the woman hadn't actually divested herself of her nightshirt? The thought consumed the blonde as she imagined lying in bed with a very naked Regina. Forcing the image from her brain, she shut her eyes tight and let sleep take her over.

But she was awakened barely a few hours later by a chill. Restless movement had kicked the covers from her body. She rolled over to come face to face with a flailing and trembling brunette. Bleary green eyes opened as she peered at the jerking woman beside her in the flickering flames of the dying fire.

"No…" a whispered moan escaped the brunette as she clutched at the borrowed linen shirt on her sweating body.

Emma raised herself to one elbow, watching the woman in the throes of a nightmare. "Regina." She said softly, leaning into the woman. The brunette struck out an elbow at the noise.

"Please, no…" the pleading note tugged at the blonde's heart.

Emma caught the arm that surely would have rattled her skull and pulled the brunette around to face her. She released the grip on the woman's wrist to grab her shoulder and shake her awake. "Regina." She said more loudly and the woman's dark eyes flew open.

Regina sat up abruptly, chest heaving and panicked eyes scanning the room. Relief washed over her as she realized she was not in the bedchamber she shared with her former husband; she sank back into the pillow.

Emma watched her closely. There was a sheen of sweat on her forehead and upper lip; the blonde found a hand reaching up to touch the woman's forehead out of instinct. Regina closed her eyes briefly and then whirled to face her.

"Miss Swan, keep your common hands off of me."

"No need to thank me from waking you from your terrible dream." Emma muttered and retracted her hand. She did continue to watch the woman as she shuddered. The blonde reached down and pulled the covers back up around them tucking them into the pocket of warmth. However, the brunette continued to quake in cold and aftershocks.

"My nightmares are familiar." She said with a strength that didn't quite reach her haunted eyes.

"Well, considering you're sharing the bed with me, I hope you'll forgive me for not wanting to awaken black and blue. Who were you fighting anyway? You nearly dislodge my teeth."

Pain and fear raked briefly over the woman's stunning features until she dropped her gaze and closed her eyes. "I'm sure you don't want to know."

Emma hesitated. "Was it about Henry?"

Regina's eyes flew open. "No." She said and pulled the covers up to her chin; craving the security and warmth. Emma watched as the brunette's breathing deepened and her dark lashes cast shadows over her high cheekbones in the dim light. "Stop staring, Miss Swan, I'm quite alright."

"Right…yeah…sorry." Emma ground out and closed her eyes, trying not to imagine that it was most likely her own grandfather that Regina had been fighting.

The thought sickened the blonde and she fought the urge to comfort the sleeping woman facing her. Emma watched as Regina snuggled deeper and curled her knees up to her chest so that they were pressed against Emma's thighs. The contact was electrifying and self-preserving. This position allowed Regina to seek heat and comfort from contact with Emma without the blonde having the ability to move closer. It was typical Regina. Emma sighed and let herself drift off, back to sleep.

Regina awoke in the morning in a warm, sleepy haze. She yawned lazily and snuggled deeper into the warmth behind her; allowing her eyes to flutter shut once more. _Wait…_dark eyes flew back open and she stifled a gasp as her spine stiffened. Emma Swan was curled around her protectively. Her thighs were brushing the back of Regina's own bare flesh. She felt a warm weight on her hip and realized it was the blonde's presumptuous hand cupping her thigh.

What was even more disconcerting than the fact that her enemy was wrapped around her comfortably like a human blanket was the fact that Regina actually…liked it. She shook her head even as she felt her body relaxing into the warmth of the blonde. No, this would not do. She simply could not be snuggling with the cause of most of her rage and frustration. She pushed herself out of the bed and set about her morning rituals with as much rigidity as she could muster.

Regina placed a few logs on the fire to build it back up and then filled a pot from the bucket of water Emma had dragged inside the day before. During her plundering of the cabinets, she had found a container of tea grounds and as they had no coffee; she would make it work.

Emma awoke to a warm, sensual smell. She cracked an eye about the room and motion caught her attention. Regina was crouched, long nightshirt riding up on her thighs to allow her maneuverability from her position and dark hair swinging forward in her face. She was checking something in a pot over the fire and when she poured it out of the kettle into a chipped, wooden cup Emma placed the smell. It was hot tea.

Still she didn't move; she continued to watch as the woman carried the two cups to the table and then set out the jar of honey as well as a warped spoon side by side. She then opened the pear preserves and began dishing them into two bowls. Emma was struck by how soft she looked standing in the kitchen with the long shirt flowing loosely about her body. The top button was undone carelessly and her hair fell about her face in long, subtle waves. The blonde fought a smile when the brunette reached up and flicked it back out of her face in irritation; she had long ago realized that it was a tell of Regina's to touch her hair. Just as it was a tell for the brunette to clutch at her flat stomach when she was nervous.

Emma rolled onto her back and stretched stiffly; yawning loudly because she knew it would bother the brunette. Sure enough, when she glanced over to her she saw dark eyes roll dramatically.

"Miss Swan, we need to get moving." She said and nudged the bowl and cup on the counter. "We have tea and pears for breakfast."


	11. Chapter 11

They made their way down the brick road with their packs somewhat heavier. Both women had added their respective nightshirts to their pack; both hoping they would come upon another abandoned cottage with which the nightwear would be appropriate. However, they were both also carrying a few jars of preserves each as well.

Emma turned to look at her companion who was casting quick, and in Emma's opinion, paranoid glances about them. "Is your Spidey-sense tingling?"

"My what?"

"You know, like Spiderman? Spidey-sense. Like the DC comic."

"Marvel."

"I know." Emma smirked having caught the woman once again displaying her knowledge of pop culture. Regina rolled her eyes.

"Yes, Miss Swan, call it what you will, but I feel like we're being followed."

"But I would have heard-"

"I don't _hear_ anything: I _feel _it." She emphasized as they continued to walk.

"What makes you think we would be followed? So far, I think we've gone under the radar."

"The magic that was expended to get us here must not have, however." The brunette explained. "All of the minor magic I have been performing would not register. But a big blip like the one that must have popped up when we got here would have tipped even the most novice witch off."

"So you think that they know we're here? Does that make it more important to move quickly or to refrain from magic?" She asked but suddenly Regina stiffened and whirled her head. She watched as the brunette glanced around desperately and then grabbed her wrist in a strong hand. "Regina?"

"Hush!" the woman snarled and dragged her toward the edge of the woods.

"Hey!" Emma shouted, pulled off-balance by the woman's urgent tugging.

"Silence!" she hissed and then gave an almighty wrench, sending the blonde into the bushes and tumbling down a steep embankment. Her pack slipped off and rolled several feet before her. The brunette followed quickly afterward, stumbling down to land beside the blonde lying on her back.

"What the fu-!?" Emma began angrily and started to stand. But Regina suddenly barreled down on top of her; straddling her hips with her thighs and pinning her hands over her head with one hand. "Regina-" Emma began again but the woman clamped a hand to her mouth and pressed her body low over hers.

"I said quiet." She said and then raised herself, eyes scanning.

Emma heard hoof beats coming from opposite directions. She watched Regina's face as it darkened in watchful contemplation. The riders stopped not far from where they had just tumbled and Emma lay still in the leaves with Regina's body pressed close to hers. As the men began talking, Regina gave her a warning glance and moved her hand from her mouth slowly; but she continued to pin her arms above her.

"Cork."

"Sir."

"Have you found any traces of magic?"

"No, sir."

Emma could hear the horses stamping and supposed the men were circling one another; steeds tossing their heads at the limited movement.

"Her Majesty will not be pleased that her guards have not found the source of the open portal detected."

"Yes, sir. I know, sir." The man named Cork answered with a tremble in his voice.

"You know how…angry the Queen gets when she is dissatisfied with her service."

"Yes, sir. I do."

"Perhaps this will give you an incentive to keep looking?"

"Of course, sir. I will not rest."

"Then get on with your patrol, Corporal."

"Yes, sir." They heard the horse snort and toss as the rider spurred it down the road. It seemed the other man hung back before turning and trotting off in the opposite direction.

Emma looked up at the brunette again, expecting her to move off of her with some smart comment. But Regina sat gazing up at the spot of the encounter with a dazed expression on her face; as though she was lost in thought. Her hand still clutched Emma's wrists above her head and the blonde wiggled her fingers and arched her brows.

The brunette looked down and realized she still sat astride the prone blonde. A shiver snaked its way up her back as she gazed down at her; realizing the woman was at her mercy. The thought thrilled her more than it should have and she released her wrists and stood up; stepping back.

They climbed the embankment cautiously and then stepped back out onto the road. "What the hell was that?" Emma adjusted her pack as the woman dusted off her dress and picked leaves from the tights on her legs.

"What?"

"You couldn't have said 'Oh, by the way, I hear horses, let's tumble into a ravine where I'll straddle you into submission'?"

Regina arched a brow with an enticing smile on her lips. "Well, dear, I suppose because I knew you wouldn't like that idea…or that you would like it too much." She smirked and strode ahead unable to refrain from goading the woman a small amount but unwilling to admit just how much she enjoyed it.

"You could have said something! For a second there I thought you were going to kill me or…" Emma trailed off, unwilling to state the other thing that had been on her mind but Regina smiled knowingly at her.

"I reacted. I apologize that I put you in such a compromising position." She said without a trace of remorse in her tone. "Had I remembered you were such a prude, I would have simply knocked you out instead of restraining you."

"I'm not a prude!" Emma hissed sideways at the woman. "You're not the first woman that has straddled me!"

"Then I see no reason to complain. You had a beautiful woman pressed against you; I see that as a win-win." She smirked again. "But the encounter did give me some valuable information."

The smart comment and husk in the woman's voice gave Emma pause; what had she given away? "What?"

Regina's eyes cut to her suspiciously. "That there _is_ a monarch and that she knows magic." Came the tense reply.


	12. Chapter 12

That night, they were fortunate enough to find another abandoned home and after a meal of goat jerky and pear preserves, Emma crawled into bed and sank directly into sleep. She didn't even feel Regina enter the bed beside her. However, as with the night before, Emma's sleep was interrupted when she felt someone bumping into her shoulder. She jerked awake; on high alert and rolled around. Regina was facing her, eyes screwed tight; silent tears escaping down her cheeks. "No, stop!" she murmured. "Not tonight." She said and the sound of her pleading turned Emma's stomach.

She rose up over her. "Regina, wake up." She said gently taking her shoulders and shaking her.

"God, no Leopold!" The brunette shouted and trembled in fear.

Emma's heart sank; that name was familiar. She knew what Regina was dreaming. The blonde shook her more roughly and Regina struck out a fist at her. Emma captured it and pinned it to the bed before rolling herself between the brunette's thighs to try and still her.

"I can't!" Regina sobbed as she clenched her thighs around Emma and lashed out again.

"Regina!" Emma shouted into her face and shook her roughly enough that her head was whipping back and forth. "Wake up!"

Dark eyes flew open in a panic and she rolled them over pinning Emma beneath her; strong in her desperation. Her gaze cleared as tears continued to flow down her cheeks. "Emma?" she whispered.

"Yeah, it's me. You were having a nightmare." Regina released her hands and gripped the woman's nightshirt with shaking hands. As if holding onto the blonde was the only thing that kept her alive.

"A nightmare." She said softly but didn't relinquish her hold on the blonde beneath her. Instead she sat and allowed the chill of the night to fight away her feverish dreams as the warm body beneath her grounded her in reality. Fear sank from her face and was replaced with repulsion as she shivered at the memories of her days as the king's wife.

She looked down to find Emma staring at her wordlessly; worry and concern and something else etched across her face. She loosened her hold on the woman's shirt and swung her leg back over her hips to lie back down on her side. Emma rolled with her; to face the still trembling woman.

"That was a doozy, huh?" She asked softly, noticing that one of Regina's hands still held to her shirt tightly as though afraid she would disappear and leave her alone to the haunted night.

"It was very real." She shuddered. "I could even feel…" she stopped and looked at Emma, releasing her shirt. "When you laid on top of me, I thought…" her breath caught in her chest and she wiped away the tears angrily: attempting to shake of the helplessness and sense of futility that she fought so hard to conceal most of the time.

"You thought I was the king." She finished for her and Regina glared but found it took too much effort.

"So you heard?"

"I'm sure half the woods heard."

"I apologize for interrupting your sleep." She said and rolled back over. She stiffened when Emma followed her and wrapped her body around her; taking the woman's shivering into her own heat. "Miss Swan." She said warningly.

"I'm cold. You kicked all the covers off when we were fighting. You owe me body heat."

Regina didn't pull away but she didn't relax either. "If you must." She sighed disdainfully but a smile curved at her lips when Emma pulled her closer and drifted to sleep.

Regina awoke the bigger spoon of the pair that morning. She could smell the earthy scent of the soap Emma had used the previous night in the woman's blonde curls. Her hand was curled around Emma's hipbone and as she flexed the fingers absentmindedly, the blonde stirred and rolled over to drape a leg across Regina's own hip.

The brunette stiffened and cleared her throat. Emma looked up sleepily, dark eyelashes fluttering as a green gaze zeroed in on Regina's red lips. The blonde, still not fully awake, darted forth her tongue to wet her own lips and the brunette was mesmerized; heat spread through her body rapidly but adrenaline and fear kicked in. "Miss Swan, kindly release me."

"What?" she asked breathlessly. Regina nodded down to where Emma was claiming her hip with her own thigh. "Oh!" she relinquished the woman from her long, lean leg and scooted back to topple off the bed in a sprawl.

Regina raised herself up lazily and looked down at her. "Careful, dear. Don't want any more injuries, do we?"

"If you hadn't been so damn close to me…" Emma mumbled and stood.

Regina smirked at the sight of her looking so deliciously tousled and disgruntled. Her eyes were still sleepy and her movements less than coordinated. The blonde hair about her shoulders waved and tossed about her as she moved around to open a jar of tomatoes they had found plundering the house the previous night. The brunette swung her own legs over the bed and padded forward to light the fire in the grate and begin the tea.

Emma looked up to see Regina working with the embers in the grate. "So how much further to the castle?"

"A little over a week, I would say."

Emma let out a long suffering sigh to which Regina narrowed her yes. "Don't get me wrong, I love roughing it with the Evil Queen and all…but all this walking is really wearing me down."

"We need a horse."

"Um, there are two of us." Emma clarified.

"Have you ever ridden?"

"Well, no."

"Then _a _horse it is." Regina smiled. "We can stop in the next town and obtain one."

"Regina," Emma spoke slowly. "We don't have enough money for a horse."

"Who said we need money, Miss Swan?"

They made it to the town just as the sun was high in the sky and Regina led them down the stalls of the city to a dark shop with a horse shoe on the sign. The brunette reached down and kicked her feet in the street, picking up five small, flat pebbles. "This should do." She mumbled and turned to Emma. "Let me talk. Do not look the salesman in the eye, do not touch him or talk to him. Do not talk to or touch me." Her instructions were clear but strange and Emma nodded before lowering her head and entering behind Regina.

"Well, hello." The shopkeeper eyed the two women appreciatively. "What can I do for you two ladies this evening?"

"I need to buy a horse." Regina moved closer to the man and the blonde could feel a power radiating from her that was nearly electric. Her voice was deep and husky and sensual as she continued. "Could you show me what you have?" she asked.

Emma chanced a glance up and then ducked her head. It didn't matter; the salesman only had eyes for Regina. He moved out from behind the counter. "Of course, my lady." He said. "If you would follow me." He moved away and Emma watched the hem of Regina's skirt. She was trying to keep her instructions and had her head so far down that she nearly ran over the woman. She stopped abruptly and backed away.

"I have any sort of horse you would need." He continued and through Emma's peripherals she could tell he was staring avidly at Regina and sweating profusely.

"I'm sure you do. I do a great deal of riding; sometimes I like to take friends along. Often they ride on the horse with me. Which would best suit this purpose?" She placed a hand on his shoulder and Emma saw his knees nearly buckle. That was certainly suspicious; Regina was certainly more than attractive, but so far, Emma hadn't seen anyone react to the brunette in this fashion.

"I have a mare, she's sturdy and fast and very strong. Her temperament is rather high strung but I'm sure a woman such as yourself would relish breaking her." his words trembled.

"Show me." Regina's voice commanded gently.

The man nearly tripped over backward to obey. He fumbled as he led them down to the end stall and as Regina stepped forward, a horse appeared. Emma looked up at the animal and found a golden palomino with a curly mane. The horse's nostrils flared when it caught scent of Regina and tossed her glorious head in excitement. The brunette reached up a hand and held it before the mare so that the horse could smell her before leaning in and staring her in the eye.

The mare whinnied softly and bumped her nose on the woman's hand. Emma watched Regina's lips curl into a genuine smile. "Yes, I'll take her." she held out her hand of stones and dropped them into the man's outstretched palm. "I believe this will cover her expense as well as a few days' worth of feed?"

The man's jaw dropped and Emma felt certain that he was about to look up in anger and confusion at the fistful of pebbles she offered. But the blonde's own mouth fell open when he spoke. "Yes, ma'am. Thank you ma'am for your generosity! I will supply your saddle and a week's worth of oats for the mare."

"Very well." She said and turned on her heel as the man scrambled to let the horse out and lead her around to saddle her.

Back on the street, Emma turned to Regina and lowered her voice. "What the fuck was that?"

"Magic." Regina smirked.

"The rocks, yeah….but he nearly wet himself when you got close to him."

"He was smitten."

"Obviously." Emma rolled her eyes.

"No, dear. _Smitten._ It's a term used to denote when magic has been used to overpower the senses of another person. It allows me to bend someone to my will and leaves them foggy and dazed afterward. He won't remember this in the morning. He'll remember selling the horse but that will be all."

"Have you done that a lot?"

"A great number of people have been smitten with me." She waved a hand dismissively and Emma narrowed her eyes.

"Have you ever tried that on me?"

Surprise flew to Regina's eyes, "No. We didn't have magic in Storybrook until recently and then…well I wouldn't have had the chance anyway."

"But you could have tried it here."

"I haven't, it's a distinct experience." The woman smirked.

"Why haven't you?"

This question stopped the brunette and she considered her carefully. "Because I didn't deem it necessary."

"Why not?" Emma drew closer to her.

Suddenly the shop keeper came around the corner, leading the horse who tossed her head and drug him behind when she saw Regina. The brunette smiled at the animal and then her gaze flickered to the man. He loaded up the oats and then kissed her hand sloppily before they turned and left.


End file.
